Emissions core of Indian nuclear debate

India could reduce its carbon emissions by more than 300 million tonnes by 2030 due to nuclear energy but critics of the plan for Australia to export uranium to the country claimed there were better ways of tackling climate change.

India now ranks fifth globally in total greenhouse emissions behind the US, China, the European Union and Russia, with the country’s energy sector accounting for 58 per cent of its emissions. But emissions are set to skyrocket in coming years as India’s economy expands and modernises; emissions are expected to increase from 1.6 billion tonnes in 2005 to up to 6.5 billion tonnes in 2030 – depending on growth rates – as power generation expands from 150 to 760 gigawatts.

According to the 2011 India Energy handbook, over half of the increase in total energy generation will come from burning coal. But the Indian government has flagged in recent years its intention to meet increased demand from a large increase in renewable and nuclear energy. It is set to have 40 GW of wind and solar-power capacity by 2022 and 60 GW of nuclear by 2030.

According to a report by consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, India could do most to reduce its emissions through cheap energy efficiency measures. But an additional 330 million tonnes of emissions reduction could be delivered through the delivery of 60 GW nuclear energy and around 290 million tonnes through solar.

But Greens deputy leader
Christine Milne
said nuclear power was costly and “blowing budgets by billions", and there was a large and quick fall globally in the cost of renewable technology.

“Nuclear power not only is dangerous to the world but is also too slow and too expensive," Senator Milne said. “There is a huge civil anti-nuclear movement in India not only as a result of Fukushima but also because communities regard the Russian technology for reactors unsafe. Delay is now inevitable."

But former chair of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Ziggy Switkowski
said the cost of nuclear power was likely to come down in the future as China became the primary source of reactors.

“The issue for policymakers is that nuclear power is a known technology, whilst you have to make bold assumptions about the cost curves on renewable technology like solar thermal. There is also the issue of intermittency."